October 30, 3020. Early before dawn, after Wang Lei came back, Yan Yu also visited the grocery store.
“Did you find out who his gay partner is?”
“No, but the police should have a clue.”
“Her husband has committed adultery, and the said third party was a man which no one can accept. With that information, Li Qiuran is more suspicious.”
Yan Yu asked, “Huaan, why aren’t you doubting that man?”
“Do you mean Jiang Changping’s homosexual partner?” Yan Yu seemed to nod so Ling Huaan chuckled. “I doubt him ah, but that person is currently still a mystery. On the other hand, we have Li Qiuran on the surface. Let’s eliminate our suspicion with Li Qiuran first and think. Hypothetically, if Li Qiuran isn’t the murderer, it’s most likely that the mysterious third party was the murderer.”
“Why cage yourself in the idea of crime passionnel, if it’s actually revengeful murder?”
“Didn’t you say that Jiang Changping’s personal relationship was simple and there was no enemy?”
Yan Yu was taken aback and blushed.
Ling Huaan grinned. “In fact, as far as we know, the highest possibility would be a crime of passion. Both Li Qiuran and the mysterious third party have sufficient motive to kill. Since it’s like this, we will have to conduct a step by step elimination to find the truth.”
“What are we going to do next?”
Ling Huaan hesitated for a moment then he ordered, “Stop investigating Jiang Changping and focus on Li Qiuran for the time being. We need to know her family background, the environment she grew up with and the people she has close relations with, especially men.”
“Oh okay, I’ll check it tomorrow.”
Ling Huaan gulped the last mouthful of soup, then fished out his phone. “How much was it? I’ll pay you back.”
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb. How could they possibly tell you such private information if it didn’t cost money?”
“You don’t have to be so blunt about it, Huaan.”
Yan Yu lay down the stuff he’s holding and let Ling Huaan hold his wrist. “You should know how important grandpa is to me, Huaan. Not only did you help my grandfather, but you also helped me. I owe you a lot, and I don’t know if I can ever repay you in this lifetime.”
“I help your grandfather, then receive the payment. It’s a give and take. This is the rule, Yan Yu.”
“I don’t care about that.” Yan Yu has always gone his own way. No one can persuade him once he settles his mind into something.
“Yan Yu….”
“Don’t move, you have dirt on your face.” Yan Yu walked around the table and approached Ling Huaan.
Across the grocery store, Jiang Chengyan stared at the two figures reflected on the glass window. It turns out that Ling Huaan could smile so gently, but this gentleness isn’t directed to him.
“Captain, what are you looking at?” Yao Min followed Jiang Chengyan’s line of sight and couldn’t help exclaim. “Wow, wow! That man is so handsome ah! He has a thin waist, big buttocks and long legs. My goodness, he possesses all the qualities of my male god! Wow, wow, holding hands, holding hands! Brother Ling took the initiative to hold his hand.”
Yao Min grabbed Jiang Chengyan’s arm and excitedly shook it. “Wow, wow, wow, close, close! Aren’t they going to kiss… Ah, this picture is beautiful. Captain, they’re a great match!”
The excited Yao Min was totally unaware of her captain’s emotional changes. He looked at the two figures coinciding on the other side of the glass window. His expression turned ugly and his heart tasted sour. He shook away Yao Min’s hand and walked to his car.
“Captain, captain, where are you going? Wait a minute, I haven’t seen enough yet!”
Yao Min glanced at the two people and saw that Yan Yu had already got up. She hesitated for a moment and caught up with him. When he opened the door and got into the car, Yao Min couldn’t help complaining. ” Captain, why are you in such a hurry?”
“It’s early in the morning. Aren’t you sleepy?” Under the pressure of his bitter heart, Jiang Chengyan casually found a reason.
“I was kinda sleepy before, but just now I saw the picture of Big Brother Ling and a handsome guy together. I got so excited that it woke me up completely.” Yao Min flashed an aunt’s smile.
When he heard Yao Min’s words, Jiang Chengyan’s heart was on the verge of explosion, yet he has no idea why he’s feeling that way. He said sharply, “What picture? Yao Min, you’re also a veteran criminal police officer. You should respect and understand objective facts, not overthink it. They’re just friends. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Captain, what’s wrong with you?” Yao Min finally realized that Jiang Chengyan was in a bad mood.
Jiang Chengyan shut his eyes and pressed down the bubbling agitation in his chest. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been too tired recently so I’m a little irritable. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
As the car slowly drove away from the police station, he took a peak at the store and this time, there was no Yan Yu on the other side of the window. As usual, Ling Huaan’s figure was sitting behind the counter as he listened to music through his earphones.
After taking Yao Min home, Jiang Chengyan’s mind was full of overlapping images of two people. The more he doesn’t want to think about it, the more vivid the image is, and the more uncomfortable he feels.
The car was quiet and the atmosphere inside felt heavy. Yao Min stole a glance at Jiang Chengyan and probed carefully, “Captain, are you ok?”
Jiang Chengyan didn’t speak and drove in silence.
“Captain, are you in a bad mood? Is it related to work or… Does it have something to do with Brother Ling?” The more Yao Min asked, the lower her voice became.
Screech! With the sharp sound of the brake, Yao Min’s body suddenly toppled forward. If she hadn’t grasped the handle of the car roof quickly, her nose would most likely be gone now.
Lying on the steering wheel, Jiang Chengyan’s heart thumped fast. He let out a shocked gasp as he watched a stray dog run away. He checked Yao Min and asked in concern, “Are you ok? Are you hurt? ”
Yao Min shook her head. “You’re too tired, captain. I’ll drive instead.”
Jiang Chengyan took a deep breath and calmed himself. “No, a dog just suddenly ran out. Let’s go. Your house is still two blocks away.”
The car restarted and soon arrived at Yao Min’s community. Yao Min got out of the car and lingered in front of the window. She was about to speak but quickly swallowed the words when she noticed his appearance.
Jiang Chengyan snapped. “Say what you want to say and stop looking like a pufferfish.”
“You said that. The captain better promise not to be angry.”
“Then don’t say it. I don’t want to go home angry in the middle of the night.” Jiang Chengyan said and slowly revved the car.
“Captain, why are you like that?” She quickly stepped back from the window and watched the car drive away. Yao Min murmured discontentedly, “You deserve to be single because you don’t know how to cherish jade and pity the fragrance.”
Jiang drove home and did his daily routine: taking a hot bath and having a good night’s sleep. He always gets his good night’s sleep yet today, it seems he’s suffering from insomnia. He kept tossing and turning yet his brain won’t let him sleep, his thoughts full of Ling Huaan instead. He covered himself with a quilt and yelled to vent his restless mood, but it was useless.
He took out the phone from under the pillow and opened his chat box with Ling Huaan. He contemplated for a long while, until he finally couldn’t help but send a voice message.
Ling Huaan, who was listening to music, suddenly heard a ping. He turned off the music, opened VX and clicked on the voice message. “Huaan, it’s me. I can’t sleep. I want to talk to someone. Are you still in the store? ”
Ling Huaan’s face darkened and replied, “Insomnia?”
Jiang Chengyan’s voice keyed up with tension. With just three words, Ling Huaan’s sweet voice mysteriously soothed his heart.
“Yeah.” Jiang Chengyan hesitated for a while, and then said, “I saw a man in your shop after I got off work earlier. Is he a new night clerk?”
Ling Huaan immediately thought of Yan Yu and replied, “No, he’s my friend. Are you working overtime today?”
“Well, the case has finally made new progress. It needs to be investigated and verified, so we have to work overtime for a while.”
“Get up. Warm up a glass of milk, drink it then go to sleep.”
“Huaan, you seem to have a good relationship with him. He must be a good friend.” Jiang Chengyan edited his message, deleted it, and finally sent it.
Hearing the reply, Ling Huaan raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth rose up as he answered, “Yes, a very good friend.”
When Jiang Chengyan heard this, he felt even worse. He put the phone back under the pillow and closed his eyes in anger. He was so pissed off that he couldn’t sleep.
Ding. When the message prompt sounded, he automatically reached for his phone. After struggling for a while, he clicked the voice message.
“I’ll recommend music to you. If you can’t sleep, just listen to it.”
Slow rhythm pranced away with the opening of music, followed by a man’s clear voice without the superfluous technique. Just like a warm ray of sunlight that would visit the winter, it’s warmth soothing the soul.
Ling Huaan touched the bell in his pocket and asked, “Jiang Changping, the figure you often think of is a man, right?”
Jiang Changping took time to answer. “Yes, I just can’t see clearly what he looks like.”
“You love him?”
Another moment of silence. Jiang Changping leisurely responded, “I probably love him. I always feel my heart ache whenever I think of him.”
“What about Li Qiuran? Since you like men, why did you get married and even had a child with her?”
“I….I don’t know. “Jiang Changping’s voice was filled with pain.
“Do you recall anything about that man?”
Jiang Changping fell into silence once more. After a long time he said, “I don’t want to remember. Master, I would like to terminate our contract.”
Ling Huaan understood Jiang Changping’s thoughts. He mumbled softly, “Even if I stop, the police won’t. The truth will rise to the surface sooner or later. And if he does evil things and tries to mess the causality, God will not let him go.”
“It’s all my fault…” Jiang Changping weakly muttered, “You truly reap what you sow.”
“If it’s your karma, you can’t avoid it. If it isn’t, you can’t take it.”
October 30, 3020. Early before dawn, after Wang Lei came back, Yan Yu also visited the grocery store.
“Did you find out who his gay partner is?”
“No, but the police should have a clue.”
“Her husband has committed adultery, and the said third party was a man which no one can accept. With that information, Li Qiuran is more suspicious.”
Yan Yu asked, “Huaan, why aren’t you doubting that man?”
“Do you mean Jiang Changping’s homosexual partner?” Yan Yu seemed to nod so Ling Huaan chuckled. “I doubt him ah, but that person is currently still a mystery. On the other hand, we have Li Qiuran on the surface. Let’s eliminate our suspicion with Li Qiuran first and think. Hypothetically, if Li Qiuran isn’t the murderer, it’s most likely that the mysterious third party was the murderer.”
“Why cage yourself in the idea of crime passionnel, if it’s actually revengeful murder?”
“Didn’t you say that Jiang Changping’s personal relationship was simple and there was no enemy?”
Yan Yu was taken aback and blushed.
Ling Huaan grinned. “In fact, as far as we know, the highest possibility would be a crime of passion. Both Li Qiuran and the mysterious third party have sufficient motive to kill. Since it’s like this, we will have to conduct a step by step elimination to find the truth.”
“What are we going to do next?”
Ling Huaan hesitated for a moment then he ordered, “Stop investigating Jiang Changping and focus on Li Qiuran for the time being. We need to know her family background, the environment she grew up with and the people she has close relations with, especially men.”
“Oh okay, I’ll check it tomorrow.”
Ling Huaan gulped the last mouthful of soup, then fished out his phone. “How much was it? I’ll pay you back.”
“What?”
“Don’t play dumb. How could they possibly tell you such private information if it didn’t cost money?”
“You don’t have to be so blunt about it, Huaan.”
Yan Yu lay down the stuff he’s holding and let Ling Huaan hold his wrist. “You should know how important grandpa is to me, Huaan. Not only did you help my grandfather, but you also helped me. I owe you a lot, and I don’t know if I can ever repay you in this lifetime.”
“I help your grandfather, then receive the payment. It’s a give and take. This is the rule, Yan Yu.”
“I don’t care about that.” Yan Yu has always gone his own way. No one can persuade him once he settles his mind into something.
“Yan Yu….”
“Don’t move, you have dirt on your face.” Yan Yu walked around the table and approached Ling Huaan.
Across the grocery store, Jiang Chengyan stared at the two figures reflected on the glass window. It turns out that Ling Huaan could smile so gently, but this gentleness isn’t directed to him.
“Captain, what are you looking at?” Yao Min followed Jiang Chengyan’s line of sight and couldn’t help exclaim. “Wow, wow! That man is so handsome ah! He has a thin waist, big buttocks and long legs. My goodness, he possesses all the qualities of my male god! Wow, wow, holding hands, holding hands! Brother Ling took the initiative to hold his hand.”
Yao Min grabbed Jiang Chengyan’s arm and excitedly shook it. “Wow, wow, wow, close, close! Aren’t they going to kiss… Ah, this picture is beautiful. Captain, they’re a great match!”
The excited Yao Min was totally unaware of her captain’s emotional changes. He looked at the two figures coinciding on the other side of the glass window. His expression turned ugly and his heart tasted sour. He shook away Yao Min’s hand and walked to his car.
“Captain, captain, where are you going? Wait a minute, I haven’t seen enough yet!”
Yao Min glanced at the two people and saw that Yan Yu had already got up. She hesitated for a moment and caught up with him. When he opened the door and got into the car, Yao Min couldn’t help complaining. ” Captain, why are you in such a hurry?”
“It’s early in the morning. Aren’t you sleepy?” Under the pressure of his bitter heart, Jiang Chengyan casually found a reason.
“I was kinda sleepy before, but just now I saw the picture of Big Brother Ling and a handsome guy together. I got so excited that it woke me up completely.” Yao Min flashed an aunt’s smile.
When he heard Yao Min’s words, Jiang Chengyan’s heart was on the verge of explosion, yet he has no idea why he’s feeling that way. He said sharply, “What picture? Yao Min, you’re also a veteran criminal police officer. You should respect and understand objective facts, not overthink it. They’re just friends. Get your mind out of the gutter.”
“Captain, what’s wrong with you?” Yao Min finally realized that Jiang Chengyan was in a bad mood.
Jiang Chengyan shut his eyes and pressed down the bubbling agitation in his chest. “It’s nothing. I’ve just been too tired recently so I’m a little irritable. Come on, I’ll take you home.”
As the car slowly drove away from the police station, he took a peak at the store and this time, there was no Yan Yu on the other side of the window. As usual, Ling Huaan’s figure was sitting behind the counter as he listened to music through his earphones.
After taking Yao Min home, Jiang Chengyan’s mind was full of overlapping images of two people. The more he doesn’t want to think about it, the more vivid the image is, and the more uncomfortable he feels.
The car was quiet and the atmosphere inside felt heavy. Yao Min stole a glance at Jiang Chengyan and probed carefully, “Captain, are you ok?”
Jiang Chengyan didn’t speak and drove in silence.
“Captain, are you in a bad mood? Is it related to work or… Does it have something to do with Brother Ling?” The more Yao Min asked, the lower her voice became.
Screech! With the sharp sound of the brake, Yao Min’s body suddenly toppled forward. If she hadn’t grasped the handle of the car roof quickly, her nose would most likely be gone now.
Lying on the steering wheel, Jiang Chengyan’s heart thumped fast. He let out a shocked gasp as he watched a stray dog run away. He checked Yao Min and asked in concern, “Are you ok? Are you hurt? ”
Yao Min shook her head. “You’re too tired, captain. I’ll drive instead.”
Jiang Chengyan took a deep breath and calmed himself. “No, a dog just suddenly ran out. Let’s go. Your house is still two blocks away.”
The car restarted and soon arrived at Yao Min’s community. Yao Min got out of the car and lingered in front of the window. She was about to speak but quickly swallowed the words when she noticed his appearance.
Jiang Chengyan snapped. “Say what you want to say and stop looking like a pufferfish.”
“You said that. The captain better promise not to be angry.”
“Then don’t say it. I don’t want to go home angry in the middle of the night.” Jiang Chengyan said and slowly revved the car.
“Captain, why are you like that?” She quickly stepped back from the window and watched the car drive away. Yao Min murmured discontentedly, “You deserve to be single because you don’t know how to cherish jade and pity the fragrance.”
Jiang drove home and did his daily routine: taking a hot bath and having a good night’s sleep. He always gets his good night’s sleep yet today, it seems he’s suffering from insomnia. He kept tossing and turning yet his brain won’t let him sleep, his thoughts full of Ling Huaan instead. He covered himself with a quilt and yelled to vent his restless mood, but it was useless.
He took out the phone from under the pillow and opened his chat box with Ling Huaan. He contemplated for a long while, until he finally couldn’t help but send a voice message.
Ling Huaan, who was listening to music, suddenly heard a ping. He turned off the music, opened VX and clicked on the voice message. “Huaan, it’s me. I can’t sleep. I want to talk to someone. Are you still in the store? ”
Ling Huaan’s face darkened and replied, “Insomnia?”
Jiang Chengyan’s voice keyed up with tension. With just three words, Ling Huaan’s sweet voice mysteriously soothed his heart.
“Yeah.” Jiang Chengyan hesitated for a while, and then said, “I saw a man in your shop after I got off work earlier. Is he a new night clerk?”
Ling Huaan immediately thought of Yan Yu and replied, “No, he’s my friend. Are you working overtime today?”
“Well, the case has finally made new progress. It needs to be investigated and verified, so we have to work overtime for a while.”
“Get up. Warm up a glass of milk, drink it then go to sleep.”
“Huaan, you seem to have a good relationship with him. He must be a good friend.” Jiang Chengyan edited his message, deleted it, and finally sent it.
Hearing the reply, Ling Huaan raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth rose up as he answered, “Yes, a very good friend.”
When Jiang Chengyan heard this, he felt even worse. He put the phone back under the pillow and closed his eyes in anger. He was so pissed off that he couldn’t sleep.
Ding. When the message prompt sounded, he automatically reached for his phone. After struggling for a while, he clicked the voice message.
“I’ll recommend music to you. If you can’t sleep, just listen to it.”
Slow rhythm pranced away with the opening of music, followed by a man’s clear voice without the superfluous technique. Just like a warm ray of sunlight that would visit the winter, it’s warmth soothing the soul.
Ling Huaan touched the bell in his pocket and asked, “Jiang Changping, the figure you often think of is a man, right?”
Jiang Changping took time to answer. “Yes, I just can’t see clearly what he looks like.”
“You love him?”
Another moment of silence. Jiang Changping leisurely responded, “I probably love him. I always feel my heart ache whenever I think of him.”
“What about Li Qiuran? Since you like men, why did you get married and even had a child with her?”
“I….I don’t know. “Jiang Changping’s voice was filled with pain.
“Do you recall anything about that man?”
Jiang Changping fell into silence once more. After a long time he said, “I don’t want to remember. Master, I would like to terminate our contract.”
Ling Huaan understood Jiang Changping’s thoughts. He mumbled softly, “Even if I stop, the police won’t. The truth will rise to the surface sooner or later. And if he does evil things and tries to mess the causality, God will not let him go.”
“It’s all my fault…” Jiang Changping weakly muttered, “You truly reap what you sow.”
“If it’s your karma, you can’t avoid it. If it isn’t, you can’t take it.”
